Oil-burning apparatus.



N0.'727,414. A PATBNTBDMAYE, 1903. J. MODERMOTT.

OIL BURNING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. a, 1901.

N0 MODEL.

Patented May 5, 1903.

FFICE.

ALTnivT JOHN MCDERMOTT, OF WEST BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO AMERICAN CRUDE OIL BURNER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OFCALIFORNIA. i

OIL-BURNING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION formi-ng part of Letters Patent No. 727,414, dated May 5,1903.

Application filed April 3, 1901.

To @ZZ w25/0171, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN McDnRMoTT, a citizen of the United States,residing at West Berkeley, in the county of Alameda and State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inOil-Burning Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for burning oil as fuel inboiler-furnaces and other situations wherein oil, if properly consumed,has economical advantages over other fuels.

My main object is to provide an apparatus for burning crude petroleumwithout leaving a residuum and practically without smoke. I haveaccomplished this successfully, using heavy California oils, whose baseis asphalt-ic, with very marked commercial economy as compared withformer results in the same boiler when using coal.

ln the accompanyingdrawings I have shown my device as applied to anordinary boilerfurnace, which might be a stationary, marine, orlocomotive boiler, and is intended to be illustrative of many differentkinds of situalions and localities in which oil fuel can be used with myapparatus.

Figure l is an elevation of boiler, furnace, oil-pump, and connections,with my burner in operative relation asin actual use. Fig. 2 is asection of steam drum or casing with my burner attached and showing oiland steam connections. Fig. Bisatop plan of myburner broken away to showthe interior. Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the same on line, Fig. 3.

A represents a boiler, and B its furnace.

C represents a pump for supplying the oil from any tank or reservoircontaining it. NVhen using some light oils, the oil-outlet pipe D fromthe pump can lead directly to the furnace andburner; but when usingheavy crude oils, which flow slowly and with difficulty, I prefer tolead the pipe D into achamberE and to furnish said chamberwith a coil Ffor warming and softening the oil. The coil F may receive steam from themain boiler; but I prefer to connect the exhaust-pipe G of the pump tosaid coil and have shown such connection in the drawings. From thechamberE an oilpipe H leads to the burner, and a safety-valve I ispreferably provided, as shown, to relieve serai No. 54,145. (No man.)

any excess of pressure by oil-vapors which might be to some extentgenerated in the chamber E. The oil is forced into the furnace through aburner J, located at any convenient point relatively to the furnace. Inthe drawings it projects into the furnace through the front plate K. theburner, however, the oil receives a double treatment with steam, thecombined eect of which is to render it capable of complete combustion.The apparatus preferred for this purpose is illustrated in Fig. 2. L isa drum made steam-tight and which is supported in the furnace-Wall or inthe front plate K, as shown, and to this drum steam under pressure isadmitted through a pipe M. The oilpipeHenters this drumand passescompletely through it. Near the discharge end of the oilpipe, but withinthe steam-drum, is an open valve-chamber N, having a valve n with anexternally-operable valve-stem O,and this valvechamber communicates witha hollow sleeve P, tapped through the head of the drum and surroundingthe oil-pipe. Secured upon the end of sleeve P is a contracted pipe R,which forms a hollow coupling between the sleeve and the burner J, thelatter being threaded upon the end of the coupling. Since the drumcontains steam under pressure, the valve n can be openedrto admit aregulated quantity of steam to the sleeve P, which rushes into thecontracted space adjacent to the mouth of the oil-pipe and there mingleswith the oil, saturating it, agitating it, and to some extent separatingit, so that a saturated mixture of oil and steam is formed at this pointand carried into the burner. In this condition attempts have previouslybeen made tovburn the mixture of oil and steam issuing from an openV jetor nozzle, such as the pipe R, and while combustion can take place itismarked by dense black smoke formed from carbonaceous particles andwatery 1 vapor, showing that such combustion is only partial-and thatvaluable fuel is being Wasted. My object at this point is simply toobtain a saturation ot' the oil with steam and an intimate mixture andagitation of the two preliminary to further treatment which will titthem for complete combustion. The mixed oil and steam Before leavingenter the burner J, which is preferably a chamber fan-shaped in planView, Fig. 8, and of a substantially elliptical cross-section, Fig. 4. Ihave shown it as composed of two concavo-convex plates secured togetherat meeting flanges j and formed with a wide curved nozzle j, whichthrows a fan-shaped sheet. Within the burner is preferably placed ahorizontal diaphragm or detlector j2, made fan-shaped, as shown, Fig. 3.Entering the top of the burner is a steam-pipe S, which communicateswith the steam-drum and with an open Valve-chamber T within it. A Valvet within this chamber is operable externally by the stem T. By means ofthis Valve a separate volume of steam in regulated quantity is admittedto the burner.

In operation the mingled oil, oil-vapor, and steam rush into the burnerin a state of agitation and are at once exposed to the action of thesecond volume of steam. This volume, spread by the de ector anddescending on three sides of it, mingles with the saturated mixture andreduces it by agitation throughout the burner, breaking up the globulesof watery vapor and producinga highlycombustible mixture, which escapingunder pressure from the burner burns with an intense heat. By means ofthe controlling-Valves in the steam-drum the burner-flame can beregulated, so that it can burn from a bright clear candle-dame at verylow pressure up to a erce jet several feet long at greater pressure andof such intense heat that fire-brick, for instance, cannot withstand it,as demonstrated by me in actual practice. There is practically no smokeat any pressure, showing complet-e combustion, and it is the change inthe characteristics and qualities of the mixture produced by the secondtreatment with steam that leads to this result. The force of the jetescaping from the burner can be completelycontrolled bythe valve t. Ifit is necessary to use a certain pressure through the valve 'nJ toobtain the preliminary mixture and the supply of such mixture to theburner and the resulting jet at the nozzle would be too strong for someparticular use, an increase of steam-pressure in pipe S acts to retardor check the force of the jet before it issues from the burner. Byproper relative adjustments ofthe valves n and t the combustible jet maybe regulated as to pressure to the nicest degree, according` to thequality and force of jet and degree of heat desired.

It will be noted that by the manner of applying steam described andshown there is no blowpipe action, as is the case where a jet of steamis introduced behind the current of oil in order to force said oilthrough the passage.

I do not wish to limit myself to the precise construction described andshown in the drawings, as I desire to avail myself of such modificationsand equivalents as fall properly within the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an oil-burning apparatus, the combination with the steam-drum, andwith the oil-pipe passing through it, of the open valvechambers withinthe drum, having valves, a steam-pipe leading from each valve-chamber,and a burner with which the oil-pipe and one steam-pipe communicatejointly to supply oil mingled with steam to said burner, and with whichthe other steam-pipe communicates at another point to supply steam tothe mixture of oil and steam.

2. In an oil-burning apparatus, the combination with a steam-chamber, ofan oil-pipe entering and passing through and beyond the same, asteam-pipe surrounding said oil-pipe and projecting from the saidchamber, and having a valved communication with the interior of thechamber, a pipe secured to said steam-pipe outside of the chamber andcontracted relatively to said steam-pipe, and a burner secured to saidcontracted pipe, the said contracted pipe being adapted to receive oiland steam from the oil and steam pipes.

3. In an oil-burning apparatus, an oil-pipe, a member spaced from saidoil-pipe to form a steam-space surrounding the same, and contractedadjacent to and beyond the open discharge end of the oil-pipe, a burnersecured to said contracted portion, and a steam-pipe entering saidburner independently ofthe oilpipe and steam-space.

4. An oil-burner comprising, in combination two concavo-convex platessecured together to form a chamber of substantially fan shape in planView and having a narrow discharge slit or orifice, a pipe for mixed oiland steam at the rear of the chamber and in line with saiddischarge-slit, a steam-pipe entering said chamber at an angle to saidoil and steam pipe to supply steam to mix with said mixed oil and steam,and a detlecting-plate situated opposite the inlet from said steampipeand arranged longitudinally of said chamber.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of twowitnesses, this 26th day of March, 1901.

JOHN MCDERMOTT.

Witnesses:

ZENAs U. DODGE, L. W. SEELY.

IOO

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